Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
by Liladrx
Summary: During the early years in SHIELD Clint Barton is given a target with instructions to terminate. Although already reluctant on going through with the mission, before he let goes of his bowstring he hears a voice. A stranger encounters him and tells him to stop. It's not until he's lived the other story until he realizes that the stranger was himself. Time Travel. Re-Write.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Thank you for opening this up, I know I didn't update the previous version of this story frequently, and I apologize for that. Anyways, for those of you who don't know what the phrase 'standing on the shoulders of giants' means, it means "discovering truth by building on previous discoveries". (crd. Wiki) **

**On a different note, please please please review or favorite! Enjoy!**

**xx**

**Prologue**

Clint knew that the world consisted of things that he never would understand, because his life was confusing. Most of the time he would think that he was either sleeping or hallucinating, but there was one point in his life where he truly felt like he was going insane. That was where it had all started, when he felt like he was tearing apart on the inside, when he felt like there was no reason to live at all. That was when they had told him there was no saving her, even though it all happened on mistake.

But before any of that ever happened there were small peculiar events in his life that changed the mindset to things. One time, after he had gotten back from destroying a punching bag, he had returned to find his bed unmade and the shower on. No one was in the shower, and before he had left he was more than sure he made the bed.

Another time, on a mission in Italy with Natasha, Clint had ran out of arrows, and right as he turned around a stranger had handed him one. Of course Clint wasn't thinking at all and he took the arrow, later pondering over who that could have been.

There were plenty of other times he had seen something odd, and it almost started to make sense when the whole Thor fiasco thing happened, but there was still that one time where Clint was about to shoot Natasha in Budapest, until someone stopped him.

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"You've already killed enough, Barton," The hooded stranger said, "Just let this one go."

Now Clint didn't like to be told what to do, although he was already reluctant on going through with the mission.

"Who are you?" he inquired, because there weren't that many people that could sneak up on him. Even though at a certain point in his life he had to use hearing aids, Clint had a sharp peripheral vision.

"I don't need to say, though I advise you to put down that bow," His voice was deep and Clint could hear the pain in it, "If you do that then I might talk."

Clint didn't want to take his eyes off the target, but he also didn't want to let this stranger go. He was supposed to be in disguise anyways. If this man knew that Hawkeye killed the Black Widow then he would get paid a lot of money to know that sort of information.

Clint was hesitant to let down his bow, pulling in a sharp breath and keeping an eye on his target.

"What is your name?" The stranger asked.

"Benjamin Dole," Clint answered, using his previous mission's alias.

"I mean your real name," the stranger said, urging him to tell the truth.

Clint didn't reply.

"I know you're a SHIELD agent. That you were in the circus before this. I know about your brother, Clint Barton. I know that you're also having second thoughts about terminating that woman. And I'd like to ask you, beg you to refrain from killing that woman."

Clint was breathing hard now, unsure of what to do in this sort of situation. This man knew too much, he was starting to think that he might as well use his last arrow on him.

"Why should I listen to you?" He urged.

"Because I know far too much about you," The stranger replied.

"If I don't kill her then I don't return to SHIELD," he stated,

"If you don't kill her you don't have to be the only one returning to SHIELD," the stranger remarked.

This made Clint silent. He didn't understand.

"Bring her back to SHIELD, offer her a job," The stranger explained, "You're a lonely man, Clint Barton."

Before Clint could reply, the man took something out of his pocket and disappeared. Clint wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be amazed or bewildered, but he was certainly both.

He gazed back down to his target - the woman who was drenched in tears. She sat at the edge of a fountain, obviously distraught.

Clint had been following her. He didn't realize that his target would be someone in such a difficult position, where she was forced to kill. The Black Widow was trained to be a killing machine, but her heart didn't belong with fighting.

Strapping his bow onto his back and placing his arrow back in his quiver, Clint jumped out of his hiding place. The woman didn't flinch at all, only looking up to him.

"I know you have been following me," she said, "And I know what you're going to do to me. I just want to ask you please, make it quick and don't make it hurt," she shut her eyes tight.

Clint was surprised to hear he speak fluently in English, but shrugged the thought off. She looked so heartbroken, and he knew what to do.

Taking her hands in his and let out a breath and said,

"I'm here to offer you a job."

**x**


	2. Chapter 2

**_I JUST SAW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND IT WAS THE BEST AND MOST PERFECT AND AHHHHHHH IT WAS SO GOOD _**

**_Anyways enjoy! _**

**(Unedited)**

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**xx**

_Present Time_

Clint and Natasha had been partners for years. But they also had grown close over the years as well, though that wasn't going to change anything between them.

But it was the first time that it got too far, where everyone but Clint were convinced that Natasha wasn't going to make it. But the hardest part was when her heart stopped beating, and he couldn't control himself. He lost it.

Going to the gym was always an option, but it didn't help at all. After several punching bags getting knocked to the ground, the gym was filled with sweat and uncontrollable sobs. He felt like his heart was ripped away from him.

He didn't want to think anymore, so he did whatever anyone else would have done: He went to the bar.

He had planned on getting drunk, on forgetting what happened that day because he feared that he didn't know how to cope. Natasha was his best friend, Natasha was his life, but he didn't realize that she wasn't the only friend he had.

After going on a wild goose chase to find Clint, Thor had finally caught up to him. Thor was used to these kinds of situations, mostly because of the time he was in New Mexico and had to carry Selvig home.

"Friend Clint," He said, gaining Clint's attention, "Mind if I join you?"

Clint just shrugged, being fully aware of the chase, but at this point and time of the night he simply didn't care.

"I am sorry for Lady Natasha's death," he said, "Although I wanted you to be aware, you are not the only one her death is affecting. We are a team. And I know that I can never imagine what sort of pain you are going through, but - "

" - Do you know what her last words were?" Clint groggily looked up to Thor, "They were

'I don't want to die,'" His voice broke, and he covered his face with his hands.

He didn't want to cry, not in front of Thor, but it wasn't like he had control over this. "It was a mistake," He continued sobbing, "This wasn't supposed to happen."

Thor put an arm around him, saying, "I know. That is why I came here."

Clint pulled away from him and met his gaze, confusion overwhelming him. "Why you came here?"

Thor nodded, "I did not want the others to find you because I had wanted to speak with you on our own matters," he paused, hesitantly reaching into something in his pocket, "I have something that you might want to take a look at."

Clint narrowed his eyes at Thor and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Thor held a violet-colored orb, glistening in the dim lighted bar. Though he had a handkerchief draped around it, making sure that he carefully didn't touch the orb at all.

"How's some purple rock going to teach me how to cope?"

Thor ignored the comment. "There had been an old Asgardian myth about an orb that could change time," he explained, "They were written in my brother's books, and as children my brother and I were very close. We were very young when Loki had read about the Verico Orb, and so once we were teenagers we had decided to go on a journey to retrieve it."

Thor played with the ends of the handkerchief, recalling everything that had happen on the journey.

"In the end Loki made me think that it was all a legend, that none of it was true. In the end he made it seem that we never had gotten the orb, but after the battle of the Chitauri Loki had told me that none of it was a lie. He told me that the reason why he made it seem like a story was because he didn't believe that I could control it in the right way," Thor knew that Loki was right in this matter, because Thor had been foolish in his teenage years.

But now Loki remained dead, and after Odin let him go off to Midgard he hadn't gone back to check up on Asgard.

Clint nodded, listening to Thor's story. "So let's cut to the chase, this orb thing - "

" - It is called Verico - "

" - Verico thing can change time?"

"Not quite, it's a bit more complicated than that - "

" - Can it help me save Natasha?"

Thor was silent then, because he wasn't sure if he could answer Barton's question. He rolled the orb up in his handkerchief and handed it to Clint.

"I believe this orb can take you to another time, but I warn you to be careful. You have to simply touch the orb to go forward in time, and to go backwards you must squeeze it."

Clint played with the Asgardian orb in his hands, rolling it around and examining it carefully. Clearing his throat, he said, "Thor, thank you."

Thor grimaced back, obviously knowing that this wasn't going to be a good idea, but decided not to think about it too much. "Be careful, and make sure you are not to be seen. If you are to change anything that happens in the past then you may start to make your own memories. Refrain from changing something incredibly."

With another nod Thor exited the bar, leaving Clint to be the last one sitting there with his cheap scotch.

Looking down to the orb Clint sighed. This was the only other way he could get Natasha back. The only other way he could change those things from happening.

**xx**

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**Thanks for to all my readers, and that Guest who was the first reviewer! Please please please review, I probably wont update unless I know there are people out there who actually want to read this. Anyways thank you all for sticking with me!**


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